February 23, 2015

Apostrophe war

SARNIA, Ont. — To apostrophize or not to apostrophize, that is the question in Bright's Grove, Ont.

Or Brights Grove.

Depending on who you talk to. Or what government document or what sign you're looking at in town.

The small southwestern Ontario hamlet can't seem to decide, and as a result both versions of its name grace signs, maps and government documents, which is upsetting townsfolk on both sides of the debate.

At least one member of the village recently wrote city hall to express her disappointment with new signs that feature the name with an apostrophe.

"She was pretty upset that every time she comes into Bright's Grove she believes the spelling is wrong," said Jane Cooper, director of planning.

Government databases say the apostrophe doesn't belong.

But school names bearing a possessive "s" and other community markers suggest the possessive determiner is correct.

For Carol Ryan, there's no debate.

"The sign should be 'apostrophe s,'" said the 67-year-old Bright's Grove resident. "It always has been apostrophe s my whole life."

Ryan's claim is based on her family history.

Her great-grandfather, she said, was Robert Bright, one of two brothers who started farming the area in 1864. According to newspaper records, his nephew John Bright named the community.